Corbyn critic lashes out at hard left after losing local party confidence vote

The chairwoman of Labour Friends of Israel lashed out at “Trots, Stalinists, Communists and assorted hard left” after losing a confidence vote brought by her own constituency party.

Joan Ryan, a former minister under Tony Blair and a longstanding critic of party leader Jeremy Corbyn, lost by just two votes in the Enfield North poll on Thursday night.

It comes after a summer in which the party has been engulfed in a row over allegations of anti-Semitism within the party.

Another Corbyn critic, Luton South MP Gavin Shuker, also lost a no confidence vote of local activists on the same evening.

The votes carry no official weight in the party and both MPs said they planned to continue in their roles.

Mr Corbyn said that every Constituency Labour Party (CLP) “has a right to question what its MP does”.

Mrs Ryan, who increased her majority in Enfield North from 1,086 in 2015 to 10,247 last year, earlier said on Twitter: “So lost 92 to 94 votes hardly decisive victory and it never occurred to me that Trots Stalinists Communists and assorted hard left would gave (sic) confidence in me. I have none in them.

“I will be out tomorrow morning working hard for the people of Enfield.

“Just to be clear I will not be resigning. I am Labour through and through and I will continue to stand up and fight for Labour values.”

There was also controversy over the vote, with Iranian television channel Press TV, which was banned in Britain for its part in filming the detention and torture of a journalist, apparently able to show footage from inside the meeting.

The CLP chairman Siddo Dwyer told Buzzfeed that filming was not allowed in the room and that he would complain to the Tehran-backed channel.

Owen Smith, who unsuccessfully challenged Mr Corbyn for the party leadership in 2016, said: “Iranian State TV is now live-streaming Labour Party meetings, as part of their propaganda campaign against Israel.

“Labour members should reflect on that for a moment and ask if you are comfortable with what we are becoming in the eyes of the World.”

Mr Shuker sent a message to his constituents, saying: “It’s not part of any formal procedure, so it changes nothing about my role as Labour MP for Luton South.

“I’m really sorry a handful of people in the Labour Party want to overturn your vote of confidence in me last year. Their actions say far less about me – and you – than they do about the face of today’s Labour Party.

“I’ve not changed, but the Labour Party has.”

Another former minister in Mr Blair’s government, Frank Field, resigned the party whip after losing a vote of no confidence in his constituency, blaming the anti-Semitism row and allegations of bullying among members.

Mr Corbyn was asked during a visit to Leicester on Friday if Labour members were targeting MPs on their views.

He said: “Every party has a right to question what its MP does.

“Every party has a right to challenge them on what they do and how they represent the area and that’s exactly what happens in those areas as I understand it.”